Evanescent
by mayellacullen
Summary: Sophie and Howl celebrate their 20 years of being together, but when Howl finds out Sohpie is pregnant things take a turn for the worse. Fiona works with her brother in a shoe factory. When she was 13 she had a curse put on her. Please Review.
1. Chapter 1

Evanescent

Prologue

Sparkling wine inside of a diamond glass. Her eyes skimmed him, his eyes skimmed her. His raven hair fallen about his shoulders, her hair about hers. Her lips pursed in a light smile as his eyes closed, listening to the cooing of doves on the sill of the window. The crackling of the fire in the fireplace, the laughing of children, the gentle humming of a motherly woman. All separated, down on another floor.

His arm extended, his hand taking a hold of a lock of her hair. Leaning forward across the table, his lips pressed against the silky strands. She giggled, her hand over her mouth as her cheeks flushed. She was just as in love with him now as she was when she had first kissed him, 15 years ago.

"Howl?" She took a sip of her wine. He continued to play with her hair, his head rested on his right hand. His love for her even more than it was 15 years back.

"Yes my love?" She smiled at him, her cheeks turning red, her heart fluttering like a butterfly. His smile deepened.

"I would like to ask you how you would feel about a baby." She replied. He looked at her taken aback a couple minutes, but then smiled.

"A baby would be a wonderful thing eventually. Why do you ask my love?" She looked down at her glass of wine and sighed. She wasn't sure if she should tell him, but the taste of wine on her lips left a sour taste in her mouth. This was their dinner for their 15 year anniversary, the first glass of wine she'd had for a year, and barely any of it was gone.

"I'm…I, I think I'm pregnant." She whispered. His jaw dropped, his eyes opened wide. The romantic music scratched to a stop, the candles blowing out, the lights flicking on. She looked around confused, then at Howl. He looked like someone had called him the ugliest thing in the world. "Howl?" He shook his head.

"But how? How do you know that you're pregnant?" He asked, his heart racing. She shook her head lightly, a hand on her belly.

"I don't know for a fact, that's why I said I think. But I have good signs." She looked off out the window at the sun and flowers. He shook his head again, his forehead resting in his palm.

"Maybe those signs are flukes? I mean, I've been using magic so that you wouldn't get pregnant." She shot him a shocked look. Standing, she knocked her chair over, her wine splashing all over the white table cloth, as well as his white blouse.

"You did what!? How could you? How could you use magic on me without me knowing! Without telling me?!" She cried out, tears coming to her eyes. He looked down at the wet red stain on his shirt and chuckled nervously, like he usually did when he was being a coward.

"It wasn't a big deal. I didn't think you were ready for a child."

"it wasn't a big deal? Howl, how could you do it! How can you let yourself think it's ok for you to make my decisions for me?" A tear trickled down her cheek. He looked at her hurt but said nothing. Turning she ran for the door, leaving her stunned lover to feel guilty at the table that held one of their last dinners.

************

The moon rose up from behind the horizon, disappearing behind the clouds every few minutes. It was cold, his breath visible in the cold summer air, death present in the room. He held her hand, the sound of her gasping filling the room. Markl standing at the doorway, his hands in fists. He was older now, though not as old as he should have been due to Howl's and his own magic. He looked about 16 now, tall and thin. He wore pants like Howl's now, and a white shirt with the mark of an apprentice on it.

The Witch of the Waste was next to him in a tiny rocker next to the window as Howls sat in despair on the bed side, his hands clutching Sophie's to his heart. She gasped like a fish out of water. 6 months since the dinner, and a larger belly later. Here she was, her skin pale, her cheeks sunk in. Already she looked so old, so haggard, as if she were falling apart. Her flesh cold, her fingers waxy feeling. Howl couldn't think of anything to say to her, the constant feeling of the tears burning away behind his eyes as he watched her eyes film over, her hand on her belly. He didn't know what was wrong with her, he didn't know what was causing it.

"Howl…" She wheezed, her eyes staring at the ceiling.

"yes…my love?" his voice was shaking terribly, trying to fight back the tears. She smiled at him, her gasping and pants stopping for a few seconds.

"I…love…you." She wheezed. At the end of that sentence, her mouth hung open, her eyes rolling back in her head. His heart shattered, leaning forward on the bed, his eyes open wide.

"Sophie? Sophie!" He cried out. Markl gasped behind Howl as his master broke down, crying out repeatedly for Sophie to open her eyes. Tears gushed down his cheeks, dribbling off of his chin like a steady dripping stream from a rain gutter. His blue eyes sparkling from the salt tears. A tear escaped down Markl's face, but he turned his head, the thought of crying when you were a man seeming pathetic to him, and refused to let anyone see him cry.

"Now now, it'll be alright." The Witch of the Waste crooned, her hand on Howl's shoulder. Howl whirled around and looked at her with a pleading, depressed expression. A look that screamed _how the hell is it alright? She's dead._ but all she did was smile and shake her head. "It'll be alright." Minutes roll by of silence, save for a few sniffles and agonized cries. Howl didn't look back, just promised in a deep, threatening sounding voice.

"Markl," the younger boy stared at him surprised, waiting for Howl to continue. "Never again." Was all he said.

"Never again?" He was confused.

"Never again will I love another woman." He looked at him over his shoulder. "I don't want anyone else in here. Even if it's the king himself, no one is to come in here. I don't want anyone in here." He stood up and walked past the dumbfounded apprentice to the door. "Calcifer! I want you to bring the castle to the Wastes, hide it amongst the fog." He hollered down the stairs.

"What's going on Howl?" He questioned back.

"We're hiding amongst the fog so no one can find us." He muttered.

"So you're just going to run away?" Markl questioned.

"I am. Without Sophie, I don't have the strength to face the world. My courage is gone, gone with her, the one and only woman I'll ever love." He left the room and headed down the hall to his bedroom. "No one will ever see us. Never, again."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

(six years after Sophie's death Howl vanished from the land completely.)

"Fiona! Fiona you lazy girl where are you?" He called up the stairs. A young girl, possibly 18 or such, the peak of her childhood, sat on a stool, her chin resting on her hands, her eyes glued to the starry night sky, the moonlight glistening off of the fog over the wastes.

"Fiona!" A new voice was calling. She turned as the door to her room opened. Her brother walked in, his hair disheveled, strands sticking up all over the place. His eyes were red, his lips pressed in a tight line. She grunted softly, her eyes reflecting sorry. He sighed and shook his head, his semi-short hair stuck to his forehead from sweat. "Fiona, why are you in here?" She grunted again and looked out the window. He walked forward and stood next to her, letting his eyes drift out the window as well. "It's cold tonight." She didn't say anything, just looked down at the floor.

He was her older brother, his black tussled hair, his blue eyes, his pale skin. He was the prettiest boy in town, but he was no where as beautiful as Howl, the demon that had married a common woman from the hat shop 26 years ago. Brice was her guardian, her brother, her friend, and the only one who knew about her problem. "I'm still searching sis," He whispered, his breath visible in the winter air. "I'm still looking for him, and when I find the jerk who did this to you, I'll kill him." She looked at him horrified, her eyebrows knitting together.

_Death? You'll go so far as death?_ She thought, her thoughts falling deaf. He shook his head, his mouth puckered as if he were sucking on a lemon.

"I'll kill him, and when I do, I'll make it so, so _slow_ that he'll wish that he'd never done that to you." Her heart pounded in her chest. Whirling around she threw her arms around him, crying. Her face was buried in his chest. She sobbed, her head shaking in his chest. "What? Why don't you want payback for what he did to you!" Brice snapped. She didn't answer, just cried.

"Brice! Did you find her?" Her brother turned around, pushing his sister from him and looked back at the man in the doorway. He nodded.

"Yeah, she's not feeling well." Brice replied, lying. He knew how she felt, he knew why she was looking out the window, but he couldn't let his boss know. He couldn't let him know, or else she would be out of a job and a home.

"The poor thing. I wish she would get her voice back soon, so that I can take her from the back." The man in the doorway replied, shifting. He was a heavy set man, with a fancy looking jacket and brown slacks. He had grey hair with glasses, slightly balding in the middle of his head. Brice looked back at her, his eyes reflecting hurt. "I wonder what could have caused it?"

"Probably the shock of mother and father dieing. It was probably slow and when it hit her she just…broke." _Broke?_ it sounded sour to her in her head. _What am I? A toy?_ She looked at her boss. He seemed to buy it.

"Poor thing. She's been like this for 4 years. It must be killing her to stay quiet for so long." She nodded. She had to admit it, but she'd come to terms with it. She knew she wasn't ever going to get her voice back, even if she _did_ find a wizard who could break spells. But Brice was a different story. Brice thought that there was a way, that if he could find a way to get a hold of a wizard, or witch who could break spells, but he was working on a fall back plan. In secrecy of course. If he couldn't find a magician to return her voice to normal, then he would do it himself.

Brice had been practicing for 3 and a half years, just half a year after she'd lost it. He wasn't the best at it, he only knew simple spells. Simple spells like, making light orbs, or growing seedlings faster. Nothing complex such as returning ones voice, but swore that he would make it happen even if it killed him. She didn't like it when he said stuff like that.

"I'll find a way to make her better," Brice replied. She looked at him depressed, her heart wrenching in her chest. Her boss didn't know. Her boss didn't know she'd had a run in with a wizard. The same wizard that killed her parents that night four years ago. Her boss nodded and looked at her. Handing her a small red card he smiled.

"Come down in the morning when you're feeling better and get you and your brother some breakfast." She looked from him to the card with wide eyes. It was a week pass from work. Of course, it was a week pass from the shoe closet, but it meant that she'd have to do other chores, such as cooking and cleaning for everyone. She didn't mind it, at least it got her out of that dingy, cold dusty room and away from the needles and the smell of leather. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. He laughed and gave her a hug back.

"Where will you be Mr. Hazen?" Brice asked, gently taking the card from her fingertips looking at it.

"I have to go away for about a couple days to attend the festival. It'll be fairly slow around here so don't work yourself too hard." He winked at Brice as Fiona backed away.

"Oh yeah, tomorrow is the start of the Pendragon Festival." Brice ran his fingers through his hair. He hated the Pendragon Festival. It was thrown every year ever since the disappearance of Howl 6 years earlier. The festival was thrown with prayers that Howl would soon again return, especially since he was the best Wizard known. He was skilled and adored amongst the villagers here. Brice despised his popularity with a passion. He thought that Howl was the most hideous creature to ever be born, but Fiona thought his story was romantic. Before he disappeared she told Brice how someday she would have loved to marry Howl.

"You can't marry Howl! He's already married you idiot!"

"But I want to marry Howl!"

"why would want to marry a womanizer? He'll only use you for what he wants the spit you back out!"

"he didn't with Sophie!"

"Sophie is back up for him when he can't find a woman! God you know nothing!" Was that it? She knew nothing? Fiona looked out the window again, drowning out the sound of her brother insulting the Pendragon Festival and her boss agreeing with how wasteful it was. The moon shimmered across the fog once more. She'd never been to a Pendragon Festival, but her parents had promised that someday they'd go. Someday they'd all go together. What a lie.

_Oh Howl, where have you gone? I hope you're alright._ She thought, her eyebrows knitting together. She hated the thought of something bad happening to him. Especially when he didn't deserve it. The wind blew gently outside. The sound of the door shutting temporarily disconnected her from her thoughts. Her brother and Mr. Hazen must have left. She grabbed the handle to the window and pushed it open, the wind outside blew her hair across her face. She tucked it behind her ear and leaned against the counter, her chin resting on her hand again.

The stars in the sky sparkled, a couple fell from their place and towards the horizon. She smiled lightly. Off in the distance a dark image moved. She squinted against the moons rays and watched it as it stomped across the mountainous waste land and disappeared into the fog. Closing her eyes she clasped her hands together and held them to her chin. _Howl, please stay safe, and if you want, come back to us. _She looked up at the sky once more, her heart strangely tranquil. _Whatever it was, it must have been awful to make you go away._ She turned from the window, leaving it open to feel the breeze. Stripping from her work uniform she slid into her nightgown and climbed into bed. She looked at the moon once more, hoping to see some sign of Howl coming down along the mountain. _Please, please stay safe Howl_.


End file.
